Lock control device for a compression-ignited internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

A control device for preventing the return of the contact key of the vehicle to its off position so long as the engine of the vehicle operates which would otherwise constitute a serious danger bearing in mind that the key simultaneously actuates an antitheft device which is usually employed to lock the steering gear of the vehicle. The device comprises locking means controlled by an electromagnet whose coil is connected in parallel to the battery charging circuit indicator.

United States Patent Leger [54] LOCK CONTROL DEVICE FOR A COMPRESSION-IGNITED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE [72] Inventor: Andre Leger, Sartrouville, France [731 Assignees: Automobiles Peugeot, Paris; Regie Nationale des Usines Renaults, Billancourt, France [22] Filed: March 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 126,405

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 2, 1970 France ..701 1955 [52] US. Cl. ..l80/l14, 70/252, 307/10 AT [5 1] Int. Cl ..B60r 25/02 [58] Field of Search ..l80/1 I4, 82; 70/252;

307/10 AT, 10 R [151 3,680,656 [451 Aug. 1,1972

[56] H Refere nces Cited v i V UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,021,913 2/1962 Ouimet et al. ..l80/82 3,569,930 3/1971 i Hirama ..70/252 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,056,127 .1/1967 Great Britain ..70/252 Primary Examiner-Kenneth H. Betts Attorney-Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis [5 7] ABSTRACT A control device for preventing the return of the contact key of the vehicle to its off position so long as the engine of the vehicle operates which would otherwise constitute a serious danger bearing in mind that the key simultaneously actuates an antitheft device which is usually employed to lock the steering gear of the vehicle. The device comprises locking means controlled by an electromagnet whose coil is connected in parallel to the battery charging circuit indicator.

Claims, Drawing Figures LOCK CONTROL DEVICE FOR A COMPRESSION- IGNITED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE controlled by a key associated with an antitheft device and an additional manual control means which opens or closes the fuel supply circuit of the engine. This additional means, usually termed a stop knob, is necessary owing to the manner in which the engine is ignited, bearing in mind that the stoppage of this engine is achieved only by cutting off itssupply of fuel. This particular arrangement requires means preventing'the key actuating the switch from returning to the off position so long as the engine operates, since this key also controls the antitheft device and therefore acts on an essential part, such as the steering column of the vehicle. It will be understood that any possibility of driving the vehicle with the steering locked would be particularly dangerous. I

This locking of the key actuating the switch is conventionally achieved by a mechanical interconnection between the stop knob and the switch, but such a connection is rather complex and does not allow the stop knob to be placed in the optimum position relative to the injection pump.

Electromechanical devices are also known in which the moving element or barrel of the rotary switch is locked in its on position by a finger element integral with the moving equipment of an electromagnet actuated in the direction for unlocking when its coil is fed with current through a contact responsive to the pressure of the oil lubricating the engine, the contact being closed when the pressure is insufficient. The last-mentioned device has the following drawback, owing to inaccuracy in'the operation of the oil pressure contact and in particular to its response time which varies with the fluidity of the oil the rise in the oil pressure is not instantaneous as soon as the engine is started, so that it is possible to start the engine and return the switch to the off position before the locking is achieved. The vehicle can consequently be driven with the steering column lockedin position.

An object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks of known arrangements.

The invention provides a compression-ignited internal combustion engine comprising a switch having three positions, namely an on, an off and a starting position, actuated by a key and associated with an antitheft device, an electromagnetically controlled locking means locking the switch and the key in the ,on position so long as the engine operates, a manual control means for closing the fuel supply circuit of the engine and stopping the engine, a battery, and a charging circuit for said battery including an alternator and a charging indicator, wherein said locking means is actuated by a coil connected in parallel with said indicator in said battery charging circuit.

It is known that in a charging circuit comprising an alternator, the charging indicator, which lights up when the contact switch is turned on and the engine is not operating, goes out as soon as the engine starts to operate. Consequently, with the above-defined arrangement, the switch .and the key are locked in the required position, t hat is, the on position as soon as the engine starts and so long as the engine has not been stopped by means of the stop knob provided for this purpose. Further, the arrangement is particularly simple and does not greatly increase the cost of the device.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description with reference'to' the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings FIG. I is a circuit diagram of the control device according-to the. invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a modification of the device according to the invention, and

FIG. 3 is a diagram of another modification in which an additional safety device is associated with the stop knob.

There will first be described with reference to FIG. 1 a control device according to the invention for a pressure-ignited internal combustion engine.

FIG. 1 shows a battery 1 and its charging circuit. The latter comprises an alternator 2, a regulator or governor 3, an exciter 4, a diode 5 and a charging indicator I A switch 70f conventional design connected to a rotary barrel 8 is associated with an antitheft device and comprises at least one off position 9, an on contact l0 and a starting contact 11. For reasons of convenience the barrel 8 has also been shown in the bottom part of FIG. 1.

Connected in parallel with the charging indicator or lamp 6 is a coil 12 of an electromagnet 13 whose moving part 14 terminates in a finger element 15 which bears againsbthe barrel 8 under the effect of a spring 16 when the coil 2 is not carrying current, that is, when the alternator is charging or when the switch 7 is in its off position. A recess 17 in the barrel 8 is on the axis of the finger element 15 when the switch 7 is placed in the on position.

' The device just described operates in the following manner:

When the switch 7 is in its off position, the finger element 15 is urged against the barrel 8 but is outside the recess .17. Therefore the barrel is not held stationary and the charging indicator lamp 6 is extinguished. if the switch is brought to its on position (as shown in the drawing), with the motor stationary the charging indicator 6 and the coil 12 are supplied with current, the finger element 15 moves rearwardly and it is possible to turn the keyand the barrel 8 so as to bring the switch 7 to the. starting position 11. As soon as the engine starts to operate, the alternator 2 supplies immediately-the two terminals of the coil 12 with the -same voltage. The finger element 15, biased by the spring 16, then engages in the recess 17 of the barrel 8 as soon as the switch 7 has left the starting position and has returned to the on position. Consequently, it is no longer possible to return the key and the switch to their position of rest.

If the engine stalls, the coil 12 is once more supplied with current and unlocks the barrel 8 and it is then possible to once'more actuate the starter.

When the engine is stopped purposely by a manual action on the stop knob (not shown), the alternator is also stopped and this causes current to be supplied to the coil 12 which unlocks the barrel. It is then possible to return the switch 7 to its off position.

Thus it can be seen that the arrangement described hereinbefore performs the function. for which it was designed, namely to immediately lock the barrel 8 and the key 7 in the on position as soon as the engine operates and to maintain this locking until the engine stops.

FIG. 2 shows a modification of the invention in which the coil 18 connected in parallel with the charging indicator or lamp 6 indirectly actuates the finger element 15 through a relay 19 which actuates a switch 20 connected in series with the electromagnet coil 13. The other components of the device are identical to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and have the same reference characters.

This arrangement, which is equivalent to the preceding arrangement, is employed when the current for the electromagnet 13 is liable to disturb the operation of the charging indicator 6. The electromagnet coil 12 can furthermore be connected in the known manner in series with an oil pressure contact 21 and in parallel with an oil pressure indicator 22, which affords all the advantages of the first embodiment with an additional safety device operative in the event of breakdown of the alternator.

. It might be said of the embodiment described hereinbefore that they have a drawback with respect to the mechanical interconnection between the switch and the stop knob. Indeed, if the vehicle is stationary on a slope and the engine is warm, and a speed of the transmission is engaged, the stop knob is depressed accidentally and the vehicle moves owing to the slope, the engine can start up on its own. Although this is most unlikely to occur, it can be remedied by an additional safety arrangement combined with the stop knob shown in the diagram of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows the stop knob 23 which acts in the known manner on a closing valve element 24 of the fuel conduit 25. A spring 26 biases the knob to the position in which the conduit 25 is open. The knob 23 can be held stationary in the stop position by a finger element 27 biased by a spring 28, this finger element being withdrawable under the action of a coil 29 connected between the starting contact 1 l and ground.

It can be seen that when the switch 7 is placed in position 11 to actuate the starter, the coil 29 is supplied with current and this releases the stop knob 23 which is moved by the spring 26 so as to shift the closing valve porated in the system shown in FIG. 1, as shown in dotdash line.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A control device for a compression-ignited internal combustion engine comprising an electrical switch h vin ee ositions, name] on, an off and an engiiie a ing gosrtlon, a key a s iated with an antitheft device for shifting said switch to said positions, electromagnetically controlledlocking means for locking said switch and said key in said on position so long as the engine operates, manual control means shiftable to a position for closing a fuel supply circuit of the engine and stopping the engine, a battery, a charging circuit for the battery comprising an alternator and a charging indicator, and actuating means comprising a coil connected in parallel with said indicator in said battery charging circuit for actuating said locking means.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprise an electromagnet having said coil and a moving element shiftable by said coil and connected to said locking means.

3. A control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprise an electromagnet having a coil and a moving element shiftable by said coil of said electromagnet, which coil is connected in series with a switch which is associated with and controlled by a relay comprising said coil connected in parallel with said charging indicator.

4. A control device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said coil of said electromagnet is connected in series with an electrical oil pressure contact and in parallel with an electrical oil pressure indicator.

5. A control device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising second locking means for locking said manual control means in said position for stopping the engine, and a second electromagnet for actuating said second locking means, said second electromagnet having a coil connected in series with an engine starting contact of said switch.

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1. A control device for a compression-ignited internal combustion engine comprising an electrical switch having three positions, namely an on, an off and an engine starting position, a key associated with an antitheft device for shifting said switch to said positions, electromagnetically controlled locking means for locking said switch and said key in said on position so long as the engine operates, manual control means shiftable to a position for closing a fuel supply circuit of the engine and stopping the engine, a battery, a charging circuit for the battery comprising an alternator and a charging indicator, and actuating means comprising a coil connected in parallel with said indicator in said battery charging circuit for actuating said locking means.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprise an electromagnet having said coil and a moving element shiftable by said coil and connected to said locking means.
 3. A control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprise an electromagnet having a coil and a moving element shiftable by said coil of said electromagnet, which coil is connected in series with a switch which is associated with and controlled by a relay comprising said coil connected in parallel with said charging indicatOr.
 4. A control device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said coil of said electromagnet is connected in series with an electrical oil pressure contact and in parallel with an electrical oil pressure indicator.
 5. A control device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising second locking means for locking said manual control means in said position for stopping the engine, and a second electromagnet for actuating said second locking means, said second electromagnet having a coil connected in series with an engine starting contact of said switch. 